A Lupin Backdrop to a Familiar Story
by Briarfox
Summary: Just another antic disposition.
1. That Brunette Chick

That Brunette Chick

This is written purely for the enjoyment of myself and my friends, as there are a few inside jokes.It's going to turn into a really long story...

As all stories begin, one must be introduced to the characters. Mine centers on a girl by the name of Jessica Lee Abraham, since I know her well. She never liked her name for exception of the last part. Jessica was such an upbeat and rather common name, two things she was just not very much of. Lee was just plain bad and had no flair at all, so all she was left with was Abraham. It was fitting, but all is not in a name. For a girl of 18, she knew much of how the world worked and was a little disgusted with it, but learned to find the beauty. She considered herself nothing special, just another brunette chick that had enough going for her to get her through life.

"DC!" exclaimed Eric, "We'll go to DC!"

"But we live right next to it, Dad…its rather sad," Jessica said with dishearten.

"I know, I'm really sorry but I have been so busy and I really did mean to take you some where nice for your last Spring Break in high school, but things come up…ya know?"

"It's fine. I'm sure we'll have fun. My only condition is that we at least get to see the dinosaurs at the Smithsonian." Eric began to inject, but Jessica continued. "And yes, I know we have seen them about 5 billion times, but I like them."

"That's fine. We'll go on Friday. You'll have to see the Hope Diamond when we are there. I hear it's beautiful!"

"Yea, whatever," Jessica said in a tone to put the subject to rest. She wasn't excited at all to go to D.C. and be bothered by all the tourists and have to walk her ass every where. Since November 2001 she had slowly lost the excitement about the world around her and became slightly bitter. She hid it well, though, and never had a friend see what she had become.

"D.C!" exclaimed Lupin, "We're going to D.C!"

"What the hell is in D.C that has you all excited?" said a sarcastic voice lying on the couch.

"The friggin' Hope Diamond, man! Listen, if I'm going to make a name for myself as the greatest thief, I need to begin with something huge. I can't just go for some old fart's 401K, now can I? I have a bad name to hold up!" smirked Lupin.

"That's a very noble aspiration, Lupin, but such an undertaking is quite risky. The U.S is under constant terrorist watch, especially in a place like Washington D.C." remarked the samurai in the corner as he cleaned his katana, "There will be no easy getting in and out. I surmise you have a plan?"

"That I do, and the terrorist route is along the lines of what I'm thinking of. No, don't worry, I'm not planning on killing anyone, but I do plan to exploit their fear," Lupin said with a chuckle.

What would become a legacy began that night. The Lupin III gang had been assembled from a chance meeting concerning a scroll. Lupin III, the grandson of the great Arsene Lupin was out to make a name for himself in the thievery business. Though he was one of the most brilliant men alive, he had a great weakness for pretty women, which constantly got him into trouble. The man on the couch was Daisuke Jigen, a gunman from a Chicago mob. He smoked and drank heavily, almost borderline alcoholic, but had built up a resistance over the years. He was sarcastic, quick in whit, and unlike Lupin had a great distrust of women. Jigen was Lupin's best friend though, and was loyal to a tee. Finally there was Goemon Ishikawa. A samurai of the old code, Goemon was all about honor and duty. He never let it seem to get in the way of his escapades of stealing with Lupin, though. Possessing a very dry personality, he rarely ever cracked a joke, but his ability with the katana was incomparable. Together, the three men meant to make a name and a ton of money for themselves. They were all still very young, early twenties, but their escapades would continue for years to come.

"We certainly picked the best day for this," mumbled Jessica under her breath. She and her dad emerged from the Metro station and proceeded to walk their way in the rain to the Smithsonian. She channeled some past experiences in being a Drum Major and walked with a purpose so as to speak. Jessica hated the cold – it reminded her of only pain. When the two finally got to their destination, Jessica asked leave of her father and instead of waiting for an answer she just left. Eric knew she just rather be alone.

"Man, I'm glad this is an inside job, it's raining so friggin' much Noah is getting another ark ready," grumbled Jigen.

"I know, but this is the time and place," Lupin remarked and then looking around added, "this looks perfect." They had been waiting all day for 1 PM to roll around as it was the guard's lunch break and the rookies were called in to watch the diamond. "They'll never know what hit them."

"Uh, Lupin, we have company…" Goemon remarked and pointed towards the door. It was Inspector Zenigata. He had been on Lupin's case since the thief started doing small crimes in Japan. Zenigata got a tip that Lupin was thinking of stepping into the family business and was going to start with the Hope Diamond. For being rather silly, he was as sharp as a whip sometimes.

"Shit…we're going to have to step up the time table on this thing; Goemon go get the car ready now – we'll be out soon."

At that moment, Jessica walked in to see the great Hope Diamond her dad had been talking about. She wandered slowly over to the case to catch a glimpse and had to admit it was rather pretty. But like many things, Jessica lost interest in it and began to gaze through the glass container to the other side. Three men stood together. Her attention was grabbed when one suddenly left with urgency. "He's dressed rather odd," Jessica thought to herself as the samurai left. Her eyes wandered back to the other two men who nonchalantly glanced around the room. She was rather suspicious of men since her last encounter with them was less than disastrous. The one in the red coat (Lupin) looked just like the man whom she hated, the other in the black fedora looked as sullen as she felt. She couldn't help but smile at the shared distaste of the place.

Jessica's glances didn't go unnoticed. While scanning the room the two men picked up on the stares of the brown-haired girl.

"I think we have ourselves an audience," said Jigen.

"Yea, I see her too. She must be looking at me man; I'm irresistible to the ladies. In fact, she's not bad looking at all!"

"Hey, pull yourself together, this is no time to get all gaga over some brunette chick," the gunman snapped. At that moment the two thieves stopped at the sudden sight of the serious girl's smile. It was directly at Jigen. He blushed, but pulled down his hat so that his colleague never saw.

"We need to go into action now. Zenigata is getting close," said Lupin with sudden sternness. From his pocket he produced a small gadget with a button on it, which he firmly pressed.

Suddenly a loud voice was heard all over the museum stating: "I am here as a messenger for Allah. Because of your capitalistic ways, everyone in this building will die for the sins your country has committed." Shear chaos broke lose, which is what the gang had hoped for. The room containing the Hope Diamond was suddenly an area of pure panic in which people were getting shoved everywhere. In the midst of the confusion, Zenigata got pushed towards the door screaming "LUPIN I KNOW YOU DID THIS!" Jessica got caught in the uproar as well, but did not manage to make her way to the door. Instead she got smashed to the floor and trampled on by the panicking museum goers. When the room had cleared out, Lupin had successfully secured the diamond, but as he made his way to the door he noticed his brunette audience on the floor.

"Crap, I knew there would be chaos, but I didn't mean for this to happen. We can't just leave her here. No one will go into this building for fear of being blown up. She'll just die lying there."

"Listen, I'm not going to just leave a girl to die either, you get the jewel, I'll get the chick, but we need to go right now!" Though the gunman knew it was a terrible idea to bring another person into the mix, he had to go against his better judgment – something he rarely did.

Through the back door they escaped with the last few people escaping the "terrorized" building. During the confusion, they slipped into the waiting car with some expected and unexpected luggage.

"Man, we just made this whole job a hell of a lot more complicated," Jigen mumbled staring down at the unconscious girl in his lap. "Why did you have to smile at me?" he thought…


	2. The Awakening and a Meeting

The Awakening and a Meeting

The three men stood there staring at their new found gain. No, it wasn't the Hope Diamond, which was sitting casually on the table. It was the unconscious girl that lay on the bed. Goemon stayed silent while the other two mumbled curses under their breath.

"Damn it Lupin, I'm a thief, not a kidnapper," Jigen said while scratching his head. "She must have someone looking for her; she looks a little too young, a little too well taken care of not to."

"I know man, but I wasn't just going to leave her there to friggin' die. There were enough heifers in that room to take down friggin' Samson.

"Lupin, I hate to break up this awkward standing around, but we must finish what we started," Goemon stated. "We have the diamond, but we need to dismantle the evidence at the museum."

"Goemon is right," Jigen resolved, "but we can't just leave her. What if she wakes up or something?"

"Someone has to stay here to watch the chick…NOSE GAME, NOT IT," Lupin shouted out of desperation of not wanting to sit around watching an unconscious girl all night. Both the master thief and the gunman touched their noses and smirked at Goemon who didn't know the rules of the childish game.

"Even when there is loss due to another's dishonor, I will do my duty," Goemon retorted with a sharp glare at Lupin. The other two men left, but not without an unsheathing of Goemon's katana as a warning to Lupin. The mastermind remembered to never play nose game again.

Goemon sat himself in a chair directly facing Jessica. After staring at her for a while, he decided that the most honorable route would be to at least awaken her. Into the kitchen he went and out of it he came with a strong smelling tea…ingredients unknown, but very potent if scent is in indicator. He propped her head up and slowly poured it down her throat. The first sensation of it was enough to make her cough and finally gag – sending her into the full upright position. There was initial shock on both ends, a rare moment for the samurai.

Jessica tried to cough up the terrible tasting liquid, but when she had finished she sat absolutely still and stared at the semi familiar man. She was good at keeping her composure, but this was a situation that warranted what came next.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHERE AM I!"

"Listen, it is of the utmost importance that you keep yourself calm. I do not want you becoming unconscious again. As to who I am, I am Goemon Ishikawa. You were knocked out when you were trampled in the museum."

"Museum, museum…" Jessica mumbled. She was searching through her memory, she hated when she wasn't in control enough to recall these things. Insight though came to her when she remembered the same man in front of her leaving the room with the Hope Diamond with urgency. "You are the oddly dressed man, I remember you." That's all she could really remember though. "That was a dumb thing to say, I'm sorry…" she added and looked away blushing.

"It's quite fine, my choice of clothing is not what you would call fashionable but, are you feeling alright?" the samurai asked with genuine care.

"Uh, not really. My head aches something fierce and my chest feels like an f-ing rhino ran into it," she said while slowly poking at her rib cage. "F! I think I may have bruised or broken a few ribs…who ran over me, a sumo wrestler?"

Goemon almost cracked a smile at her remarks, but held fast. "If it is your rib cage that is hurting, we will need to bandage it up in order for it to heal properly. If you allow me, I will do it and look away."

Suppressing her initial reaction to laugh at her unknown hero's modesty, Jessica agreed to let him help her. She was going against all good intuition, but for some odd reason, she was unsuspicious for the first time in a long while. There was something genuine in his character. But like all good feelings, they were suddenly swept away when she remembered that she had been separated from here dad. "WAIT! I must call my dad; he must be worried sick about me."

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do this," the stern samurai exclaimed in a sudden seriousness. "I am unable to let you make contact with the outside world for a while."

It all made sense to her now. Glancing around, she saw the Hope Diamond and realized that these men (she had remembered now the other two) had stolen it and saw her as a casualty to their escapades. "Amazing," she remarked. Jessica couldn't believe that they were capable of being compassionate and thieves. She realized her situation at the point and took herself under control. Letting Goemon dress her wounds, she tried to at least spark some conversation with him.

"Are you really a samurai? I thought they were dead or something. That Tom Cruise movie must be crap."

"Yes, I am a truly samurai."

"Can I touch your sword thingy?"

"No, and it's a katana."

"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" the brunette said with a smirk.

"No, no I'm not," he retorted and finally allowed one of the corners of his mouth turn up.

From the far end of the room, a small cell phone rang just as Goemon finished bandaging Jessica up. He moved quickly across the room and answered. From it, Jessica ascertained that the other two men were not coming back tonight. She heard something concerning problems with "Pops," but that was about it. Goemon knew she had been listening and merely said, "I will watch over you tonight."

To be honest, Jessica was glad. She didn't know these two other men, but to be truly honest she didn't really know the samurai who sat in front of her. But, nonetheless, she enjoyed his company and his sincerity. On his part, he was presently surprised at her humor and composure. He had only been around woman who were either very loud, very meek, or like that of Lupin's obsession – Fujiko. He watched her as she spoke about things of unimportance, but wasn't annoyed since it wasn't inane. But all at once, she stopped.

"Is something the matter?" the noble swordsman asked.

"How long am I going to be here and what will happen to me?"

He realized that being a in a situation of being abducted by strange men would pose a question to that extent and answered, "You will stay as long as necessary, but do not fear, we won't hurt you."

It was enough for her at the moment. She had become very tired and drowsy. Her head was still aching and her ribs hurt even more. Jessica began looking around and shuffling uncomfortably.

"I will retrieve pajamas for you, stay here."

"How the hell does he know what I'm thinking?" she thought to herself.

He returned and handed her some clean clothes from the other men's luggage since his own attire consisted of things inappropriate for sleeping. He turned around to let her dress, an action to which Jessica again smiled. She slowly crawled into the bed she had been laying on all night and settled into the most comfortable spot her bruised ribs would allow.

"By the way, my name is Jess," she said offhandedly

"Very well then." the samurai remarked and sat down right at the edge of the bed to watch her. He realized she didn't have to tell him her name, but she chose to. Goemon thought her a very odd, but interesting girl. "Good night, Jess." He finally said. That night he stayed at the end of the bed and never fell asleep. He wasn't sure if he was fulfilling honor, or some new feeling.


	3. A Second Kind of Rescue

A Second Kind of Rescue

"How's our little captive?" Lupin said, stepping into the hotel room with Jigen. The night had been long for the two men, and their worn appearances showed every sign of it. Instead of the easy in and out job they had planned, they were thrown into the chaos that is Inspector Zenigata. But, like all the other times, Zenigata was foiled by some master slight of hand and disguising, which allowed the two friends to slip away with their equipment unnoticed.

"She has many bruised ribs and would not fall asleep until about an hour ago," remarked the samurai and then quickly added, "her name is Jess." His own suddenness shook him and led to a mumbled, "I must transcend this…" as he walked out the door.

As the other two men were too tired to really perceive what had just happened, they shrugged their shoulders and pondered what was to be done with _her_.

"I don't know, Lupin," yawned Jigen rather incoherently as he slumped into a chair. "This chick is on our friggin' shoulders; it's like I feel guilty or something."

"Yea, that's because you're a friggin' pussy. Why don't you go put on a skirt, Little Miss Muffet? And sit on a tuffet at that!"

"Hey man, I'll give you something to sit on…" but he was cut off when the two bantering friends noticed the girl shuffling around and finally sit up with her back to them.

"Son of a bitch," Jess mumbled as she rubbed her aching ribs. "That's the last time I go to some f-ing museum to see some f-ing diamond in the f-ing rain." She muttered a few other curses under her breath as she drunkenly felt her way around looking for a restroom. Jess didn't notice the two men on the other side of the room. In fact, she didn't notice much of anything in her comatose state. It's safe to say she wasn't a morning person.

"She's wearing my boxers!" Lupin exclaimed when Jess found what she was looking for in the room adjacent and was out of ear shot.

"Yea, well she's wearing my undershirt, but let's face it – that's the best our clothes have ever looked," the sharpshooter said with a smirk. "I rather like her personality as well. I haven't heard a girl curse so much in a long time," he added with a chuckle.

"She's like a female version of you, except you act like that all the time."

At that moment, Jess reentered the room (finally with her wits together) where she stopped in the doorway just staring at the two men from the previous night. She had to lean against the doorway as it felt like her ribs were going to bust open, but she never kept her eyes off of them. The one in the red jacket had a devilish grin on his face while the one in the black fedora kept his solemn look from the night day previous except for now he raised his hat slightly to get a good look at her.

"Ah, you DO have eyes," she said with a laugh, but her laugh brought much pain instead and sent her to the ground in with a loud thump. "SHIT!"

The two men got up with a start, set her on the bed with little protest from Jess as she was in no position to complain. They then let her ask her expected questions about how she got there and when she would be released. As much as it was better to be battered and bruised and away from her previous life, she knew she would have to go back.

Lupin responded artfully as follows: "Yes, it is true you got here because of our escapades at the museum. I'm not going to pretend to act like we don't know what you are talking about in reference to the Hope Diamond as it is obviously sitting right over there. We won't kill you, we don't do that; and in regards to when you may leave – that is tentative on when you get better. Till then you may not call anyone or have contact with the outside world as we have our own asses to cover. Since you will be here for a while, let me introduce Jigen over there. I myself am Lupin III…and hey! Do you need someone to redress those wounds for you?" The last part was added when Lupin's eyes rested on Jess' chest to which Jess responded with slapping him on the face. "Damn."

The rest of the day was spent with the two men sleeping, no word from Goemon, and Jess sleeping on and off (as she had slept none really the night before.) Just for safety, Lupin and Jigen set up some crude booby traps to make sure Jess didn't leave, though they were sure she wouldn't get very far. By about 7 PM everyone was rested enough, but Lupin began getting ready like he was going out.

"Where are you going?" Jigen asked.

"I have myself a date with Fujiko, please repress any forms of jealousy." Jigen rolled his eyes in disgust as Lupin continued. "I'm counting on you to keep our little prisoner entertained. Don't do anything I wouldn't do wink.

"Yea, yea, whatever man. You just keep that friggin' bitch away from me. I don't trust her and it's really not good that she has you wrapped around her little finger…"

Lupin cut him off and waved, "Alright mom! Don't wait up!"

"Damn him…"

Suppressing her initial reaction to just say 'awkward' and laugh, Jess turned to the surly gunman and asked, "Do you have any cards?"

"Do I wear a hat?" Jigen said with a smirk. "But yea, what's your game?"

"Poker – Texas Holdem."

"A girl after my own heart, do you drink? What am I talking about; you're not 21 yet…"

"Do you have schnopps? I remember I liked schnopps when I was in Germany," Jess cut in. She really just wanted something to lighten her mood and possibly dull the pain in her side. Jess had been a "good girl" for so long that she saw her opportunity to finally just let her hair down. Tonight, she wouldn't care.

The night was much more eventful then either of them could have hoped for. Jess was finally able to be herself, well her self plus a bit of alcohol, which added a bit more cussing to her speech. Jigen found in Jess the most entertaining girl he had ever met. Just as Goemon found the night before, she was a tad different from girls they had been around in previous engagements. That infectious smile and the light brown eyes that always lit up when she won a hand were so addicting that he began losing a few hands on purpose just to see it.

"Hey, I was wondering…back in the museum, why did you smile at me?" Jigen asked with the confidence of alcohol.

"Oh, you looked as happy to be there as I was (which of course was not at all)…it was nice to find a kindred spirit, so as to speak. Going out is nice, but sometimes I rather just stay at home, how about yourself?"

"I'm pretty much the same way. Lupin goes out every almost every friggin' night, mostly with this chick Fujiko. Personally any night I can spend with a bottle of whiskey is a good night – either in or out." Both laughed at the comment; though it was mostly a laugh at anything point of the night. Their countenances both changed, though, after their laugh. All of sudden they became very silent, very awkward. Neither knew if something real or something of the liquor persuasion was happening.

"I…I need to use the restroom," Jess stammered and walked into the adjacent room. Jigen just nodded his head in compliance and looked away but kept watch out of the corner of his eye till she was out of sight. He had been able to drink much more then he had tonight without getting drunk, but every time he saw that girl he felt…he didn't really know.

Meanwhile, Jess shuffled her way to her proclaimed destination, but next to the bathroom door she saw the front door. Lupin had forgotten to re-booby trap it when he left and now it was unlocked and screaming for her to make her escape. Jess was torn; she had more fun tonight then she had ever had in her life…but she was a captive. Her intuition told her she must leave. The brunette couldn't help but be reminded by her song Killer Queen. "To avoid complications, she never kept the same address…heh. She looked toward the room where she had left her new found friend, whispered good bye, and slipped through the front door.

Thirty minutes had passed and Jigen realized that even a girl doesn't spend that much time in the restroom. He walked casually to the room in question and found it empty and the front door slightly ajar. "Shit," he whispered. The gunman put on his coat and ran out the door in search of the sly little captive.

Now, when one has been trampled by hordes of people and is working with more than a few bruised and possibly broken ribs, one will not get very far. Just two blocks from the hotel she had been held, Jess found herself groping the sides of buildings for support. It was all she could do to keep herself up, but she knew she must keep going. The night was not a forgivable one. For March weather, it was very brisk and the chill was biting at Jess' bare feet. Wind whipped around her and she began to cry at the pure desperation of her situation. "I just can't do it anymore…I just can't go it alone anymore…" she cried and finally fell to the ground. Jess hadn't the heart to go any further. Her eyes began to close and a deep sleep began to creep over her. For the first time in her life, Jess was allowing herself to give up. But what seemed like a dream, something lifted her from the ground.

Jigen had found her lying under a lamp post unconscious just as he had met her before. He picked her up in his arms and began walking slowly toward the hotel.

"We need to stop meeting like this," he whispered with a grin.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I saw my chance and I had to take it. I promise I won't leave again…I…I'm just so sorry."

"Hey, that's just the alcohol talking. Just don't do it again; I can't lose my favorite poker partner anyways.

"I won't." It was good enough for her. For such an odd and disturbing night, she was quite content with her present situation. Jess was able to let go, but now she had someone to at least carry her partly, figuratively and literally. The rest of the way to the hotel she just closed her eyes and smiled.


	4. Farewell For Now

Farewell For Now

What happened that night of the escape was never related to any of the other members of the group, but it did not go unnoticed. When Goemon had left earlier that day, he went to the most secluded place he could find, which was the top of the hotel they were staying at. When night approached its darkest hours and the wind began to pick up, the samurai decided it was time to return to his quarters. Before he left his lofty post though, he could hear crying on the streets below. By the time he found to whom it belonged to, he had witnessed the encounter and the rescue. For now, he concluded that for the greater good he would not speak of what he saw.

A week had passed since Jess had become an adoptive member of the group. She didn't wish to leave her new found friends and they showed no indication of wanting her to leave either. Lupin listened intently to her advice on how to treat women (so as not to experience another slap in the face,) Goemon was appreciative of her moments of reflection, and Jigen enjoyed the comradery in overall sarcastic antics. To be honest, they were all just happy to have a female presence that wasn't detrimental. They even allowed her to go out for walks – accompanied of course. On one such walk, she strolled along the D.C mall looking at the monuments with Jigen.

"I don't understand the attraction to these things," Jigen remarked as the two sauntered. "What makes people want to come down here to look at a lot of old things?"

"I think it has something to do with the history of it all, or they're insane…either way you're here so what does that say about you?" Jess laughed at her own statement, though it still hurt her ribs a little to do so.

The sharpshooter smiled at her ability to entertain herself and continued, "So what's your story? You never talk about yourself like a lot chicks do. Is there some mystery in your past that we should be aware of or something?" He said it all very nonchalantly, but he noticed his remarks hit a chord in her as her demeanor changed.

"There are a lot of things in the past I would like to forget, but nothing seems to just float away as I'd like it to. It just rather lingers around reminding me of my faults." Jess realized her momentary lapse in to the past and tried to recover. "It's of no matter, things happen for a reason I suppose…" What came next out her mouth was something she never expected to say as she had guarded her heart for over a year now from such feelings, "I'm just really glad to have met _you_."

The pair was silent for a while and contemplated what had just happened. They were both guarded individuals who didn't let on much about themselves. Sudden insights like this perplexed them but the shared silence allowed for them to walk a bit closer to each other.

"When will I have to go back?" Jess finally asked after a bit.

"I don't know," Jigen responded with some hesitation. He never thought that she would have to leave to go back to her own life. He surprised himself at his sudden worry over such a matter. Jess sensed this slight discomfort and suggested they walk back to the hotel. The answer to the posed question was found when the two returned.

"Hey Jigen, what are you feelings on rubies?"

"Anything that increases the ole' retirement fund is a friend of mine. Why, did you find us a new job?"

"Yea, a friggin' awesome one. Fujiko always looked best in red. I'll get her the biggest one and she'll be all over me for sure!" Lupin began to fantasize at this thought but was brought back into the real world by Jigen's injection.

"She'll be all over something, but it won't be you. I don't want her getting involved in something that affects what my share will be." Jigen put the subject to rest with a tilt of his fedora as he sat himself in a chair. Lupin knew not to push the subject, but he knew he would be able to win his friend over in the end.

While this dialogue was exchanged, Jess went over to the silent samurai in the corner. He opened his eyes at the sight of the oncoming girl and moved over on the couch he was sitting so that she may sit down. Jess nudged him and smiled as they watched the childish argument in front of them unfold. Goemon nodded and smiled in agreement. He wanted to enquire as to the condition of her ribs but some how found himself a bit lacking in courage.

"Anyways, the job is in London and I booked plane tickets for a flight tomorrow," Lupin said at the end of the little tiff. The three men were still for a bit and all at once looked at Jess. None of them wanted her to leave, but they knew they could not take her with them. She knew this as well but blushed as she always did when sudden attention was turned her way. The last night spent with the Lupin gang was one to remember, but since they all got ridiculously drunk, the particulars and facts can't be remembered.

The morning brought packing and Advil for the hangovers that ensued from the previous nights debauchery. As it was only necessary that one of the three men take her home, Jigen took it upon himself to complete the task (though it took no twisting of his arm to do so.) Before they left, Lupin took Jess aside to explain some particulars.

"Listen, you need to know that there is 'story' to your disappearance I created in order to not cause uproar." Jessica began to interrupt, but Lupin waved it off and continued. "I visited your father the day after the heist as a Fed (information I got about you I found in your wallet) and told him that you would be with the government for a while because of the things you 'saw.' This allows you the ability to not reveal what has happened to you and to continue on with your life like nothing happened." Lupin paused for a moment and then finally said, "But, above all else, I would like to consider you as a friend and see you when I am in the area." This last part was very important to Lupin for the reason that he saw opportunity in having a pre-med student in his list of friends to go to. If anything were to happen to them, he knew he would have a silent aid on their side.

"Of course, but don't be such a pussy about it next time and remember what I said about women: we're as evil as hell," Jess said with a laugh. She hugged him goodbye and left with Jigen for the thirty minute ride home.

For most of the ride, the two sat in silence. Though Jess was usually artful in keeping situations away from awkward tendencies, she kept just as quiet as the man to her left. For most of her life she had never been afraid of just saying what was on the top of her head, but for some reason she didn't want to sound stupid. Instead, she kept a fixed stare out the window and reflected on her time with the three thieves.

Jigen, for his part, had no qualms with silence, but too found a need to break some of the tension in the air. He was hoping Jess would say something, she was really good at that, but she never said a word. The gunman stole many quick glances to his right at the brunette and wondered why she seem so distracted, but in true man form, never enquired and left well enough alone.

With the arrival at her home, Jess noticed her dad was not there. This was nice because she would have to bolt out of the car so as to avoid complications. Instead, she sauntered to her front door with the man in black right behind her.

"Oh, you don't have to walk me to the door," Jess said, but slowed down so that he may walk beside her. Sadly their stroll was short and there the two awkward people stood: face to face not saying a word. Finally Jess' nerve kicked in.

"When will I see you again?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Jigen replied with a smile. He looked for a response, but all he could get from her was a blush and turn away of her face. She was better at hiding her emotions than he was and she didn't even have a hat to cover her face. Confused as hell as all men get, the gunman finally said, "Listen, you aren't like any other girl I have met. You're as witty as hell and it must have been some kind of fate for you to be thrown in our paths. I used to only be happy when I was drunk off my ass, but when I'm around you it's like I'm always drunk without the nasty hangovers in the morning. I don't know what…" but at that point he was cut off.

During the whole of his speech, Jess found the courage to finally stand on her toes and give him a kiss. Nothing long, nothing too short; simply to the point and strangely right.

Jess caught herself off guard at something so out her character and stood there staring at the shocked man for a minute. Her recovery was swift though as she reached for her keys, unlocked the door, and began to make a break for the inside. The retreat was halted by the capture of her arm by the gunman who pulled her toward him.

"Look into my eyes right now!" he commanded.

Jess was scared and dared not defy him but kept her resolution strong. No man was going to break her, not again.

Jigen looked straight into those light brown eyes and saw that same fire he encountered during their poker night. He could tell when someone was lying and he meant to find if this girl was for real. Right into those eyes he stared and saw in them all the truth and compassion possible. She wasn't messing with him, and when he realized that, he loosened his grip, softened his facial expression and said, "I'll come back. I'll come back soon. I can't tell you when, but I swear I will."

It was good enough for her. Into the house she went and to the car he went.

"Damn…" he said with a smirk.


	5. Back to Normality

Back to "Normality"

"HOLY CRAP WOMAN WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!"

Jess smiled as she entered the school to hear that friendly, or insane, voice again. To whom the voice belonged to was a girl by the name of Kim. She was Jess' partner in crime so as to speak and always had boys chasing after her, though not the welcomed kind. Cute as a button and friendly to all, but if you asked her she was neither. While Jess was considered the courageous sarcastic one, Kim had been dubbed the quiet nice one. But, when the two were together and "with their powers combined" they were an unstoppable duo of mischievous antics.

"If I told you, you would never believe me."

"Ummm, you're going to tell me right now since you left me all alone to deal with 'nice' and 'extreme.'" The names of "nice" and "extreme" had been given to two particular lads in the girls' lives that gave them fits. To explain would take time and since Jess had to relate the story, we must continue.

"I missed your commanding," Jess said with a laugh. "You never ask…always commanding!"

"Uh huh, shut up and tell me where you have been and I may forgive you," Kim exclaimed with a smirk. To listen to the two girls talk, one may think they hated each other, but it was just their way of some twisted affection. This same banter was similar to that of Lupin's and Jigen's, which made Jess quiet to think about. But, as all things, it only fazed her for a bit and she finally related the long story of the thieves.

Across the ocean, in a time zone far, far away, the aforesaid thieves were dividing up the sack of rubies they had "borrowed." What Lupin hadn't told the other two men right away was that the job was going to be done on the plane going to London, not in London itself. It was small change compared to the money they got from the Hope Diamond, but it was a nice sum to add to the good ole' 401K.

"Well gentlemen, I have business to tend to in Italy so you are on your own," the man in the red jacket said with a dreamy expression on his face.

"I assume by business you mean Fujiko and by tending…well, let's not friggin' go there," sneered Jigen as he sat cleaning his Smith and Weston.

"Lupin, it is not wise to let desires of this magnitude determine your fate," Goemon interjected.

"Just because my desires don't include sitting around and cleaning my sword doesn't mean they aren't worthy. If anything you are the one with the messed up priorities man…" His rant was cut short by a glare and a swift hand movement by Goemon towards his weapon. "Anyways," Lupin continued as he slowly moved away from the temperamental samurai, "I will get a hold of you all if something comes up, but consider this a nice holiday."

"Aw, everyday with you is a holiday Lupin!" the sarcastic gunman exclaimed. The rest of that day's conversation was lost on our fedora wearing friend, though, as his thoughts turned toward America. With this new found free time, he had the excuse he needed to go back. Those fiery brown eyes seemed to haunt him. Jigen decided to leave in a couple of days when everyone else was departing so as not to bring attention to his new mission. He knew he couldn't just walk up to her out of no where, not when she was adjusting back to her normal life. He would observe her from afar and find the right time and place.

"Jess, are you serious?" Kim asked with a shocked look on her face.

"Yes. All of that happened in a time period of a week."

"No, I'm not talking about that crap; I'm talking about you hooking up!"

"Oh, yea I guess. I didn't really hook up…" she began to trail off and blush immensely. As comfortable as she was talking with Kim, the thought of that kiss made her extremely shy and quiet.

"Awwwwwww. Jess likes a boy!"

"Shut up." Jess said with a smile and a deeper blush. "Anyways listen, I'm on my own for a week because my dad is going on his seasonal hunting trip. In other words, if I'm calling more than usual that is the reason: pure boredom."

"Sounds good, but don't get off the subject at hand! Where is this guy? Did he just leave you? Who does that? What was he thinking?" This line of inane questioning could have gone on for a quite a bit, but Jess stopped it with a wave of her hand and a simple explanation.

"He'll come when he can. If he doesn't, it wasn't meant to be. If he does…well, we'll see what happens if he does." Jess bid her partner in crime adieu, as the story took all day to tell and the above conversation happened at the end of the school day. Jess wasn't about to get her hopes up about a man. After what happened to her last time, she guarded her heart and turned away any suitors that presented themselves. She was searching for someone special and since her school only presented a very crappy selection of men, she was disheartened and at times a little bitter.

A few days had past since her return home and Jess was getting back into the swing of her normal activities. Most of them centered on school, band, and sleep (only of which sleep she had fun in.) But, as mentioned, her father left for his seasonal hunting trips, so she found herself at least alone. When Jess was alone she could be as free as she pleased.

"Looks like it's just you and me, my little snow bird," said Jess to the dog standing next to her. While the little "snow bird's" real name was Taylor, Jess took it upon herself to come up with as many nicknames as possible. She did this to all of her pets, which confused both her dad and the animals alike. Since her father had taken the other two dogs with him, Jess only had to worry about Taylor. She enjoyed the company, though, since it was that little brown and white dog that had stood by her for 9 years. "Let's do something, arctic puffin…"

It was a beautiful spring day out, so the pair went for a walk through the neighborhood. With spring, though, comes allergies, which became evident as Jess began sneezing non-stop midway through their normal route.

"Shit, I'm sneezing like it's my job. We need to go home my little lamb." The brunette turned around and saw something dash into some bushes. "Stupid squirrels." Taylor began growling at the "squirrels" though, something she rarely did since she was rather old and didn't care. "Tay, it's an f-ing rodent, chill out." Jess never thought a thing of it though. Her thoughts turned towards the museum when a child standing next to her (while looking at a stuffed camel) proclaimed that it looked like a squirrel. "What a friggin' idiot," she said with a laugh. She always was a girl who managed to entertain herself, which she attributed to only child syndrome.

When Jess returned home, she fed Taylor and scrounged for some food herself. Since the list of foods she could make was very short, she settled on grilled cheese and a pickle she found in the back of the refrigerator. She had to learn to eat what ever she could find since in a few months she would be off to college. The rest of the night was spent with loud music and dancing around the house, as was the custom. This was her favorite part of her dad not being home, being loud and crazy. But like all good things, her festivities ended when she realized she had school the next day and would need some sleep. To the bed she went and began to fall asleep.

2 AM rolled around and as it would be expected that Jess would be asleep, she was woken up by Taylor growling at the top of the stairs.

"What is it snow bird? You must have been having a dream, go back to sleep love." But Taylor didn't stop growling and actually began barking ferociously. This kind of behavior brought Jess to the full upright position. Taylor wouldn't just bark at nothing, someone was in the house.

Thoughts ran rapid through her mind. "What did dad tell me to do if someone got into the house? The gun." Silently Jess slipped out of bed and went to her father's room. Under a stack of old clothes on a high rack lay the hand gun Eric kept just in case. The trembling girl took the gun, loaded it, and moved towards the top of the stairs. She took Taylor by the collar and had her walk down the stairs with her. The dog went chicken on her, though, and ran back upstairs where it was safe.

"Oh, you traitor!" growled Jess, but she was cut off from any other insults when her breath was taken away.

A pair of arms had grasped her tightly from behind; one around her mouth, the other on the hand with the gun. Hot tears ran down her face and her heart raced to near ends. Jess thought her time had come, that she was going to die right here, right now. She could feel the breath of her capture on the back of her neck. It was steady and calm, far from what she was experiencing at the moment. "This man is going to kill me and not even break a sweat," she thought. The breath came closer and finally right up to her ear. The tears continued to stream down her face as the brunette saw her end coming.

"You know," said the capture, "you won't shoot many people with the safety on."

That sarcastic voice was so familiar and then it finally hit her. "JIGEN!"


	6. Past the Point of No Return

Past the Point of No Return

Jess was paralyzed in pure amazement. He came back. He actually came back. Her tears had stopped, but she could still feel the heat of them against her face. In her life, no man had made such a promise and delivered. She was stunned. Her mind raced at light speed. Was she supposed to be mad at him for scaring her? Should she be ecstatic and jump all over him? Maybe she should cry? What was proper etiquette for such a situation? While she pondered such pressing matters, though, she began to slump out of pure exhaustion.

"Whoa there, I didn't mean to scare you too much." Jigen looked for her to laugh as she normally did, but he got nothing but a shocked look on her face. "Crap," he thought to himself, "I pissed her off…or something?" She wasn't showing any type of reaction. She merely stood there staring at him in utter disbelief.

"Why did you come back?" Jess finally asked quietly. She kept her eyes locked on his.

"I promised I would, so here I am." He searched her eyes looking for what could be the matter, but he was put to rest when the fire flashed in them again.

"Oh, that makes sense." Jess looked at the clock then back at Jigen. "Hungry?"

Our fedora wearing friend smiled and replied, "Yes."

To her, broken promises had been normal coming from men. The fact that he came through on one was pure insanity to her. Her main reference was her former boyfriend of two years, but even her dad had let her down on occasion. She had built up quite an arsenal against this disappointment. Never letting her hopes get too high was her main goal, which is why she didn't ever expect him coming back. But, there he was, sitting in her kitchen.

"My specialties include grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese…well, pretty much anything involving Velveeta is my specialty," Jess mused with a chuckle.

"Anything is fine. I pretty much eat whatever is friggin' put in front of me," the marksman remarked. He paused for a second and then added, "By the way, those are some pretty nice dance moves you have there." The last part was added with a smirk and a quick turn around from the stove by Jess.

"You saw that? Oh my god…" She began to turn crimson. Jess only danced around when she thought no one could see her. The reason behind this was her sad attempts were quite silly to watch. She had become very conscience of it when someone remarked that she merely twirled around a lot. From then on she only did her extreme dancing in solitude. This reflection into the past distracted her but what brought her back to the real world was the smell of burnt toast. "Oh, well son of a bitch!" Jigen just merely laughed at her transition from embarrassment to anger.

Their meal of burnt food lasted for hours as the two spoke a little on their past. The conversation had been going smoothly, but one thing still bothered the gunman.

"Why did you ask why I had come back? Didn't you believe I would?" He peeped underneath his hat to see her reaction.

"That's a long story, my friend, which involves a man and a woman scorned." She leaned back in her chair and stared into space as if she were watching the movie of her past being played.

"I know how that goes," he mumbled as he reflected on his own past. He snapped out of quickly, though, and added, "I have nothing but time, enlighten me."

Jess took a deep breath, fixed her stare, and began slowly. "There was a man I was once involved with, his name was Joe. I met him a few years back and we hit it off right away. We did everything together and had the best times of our lives doing crazy things. Nothing too crazy, just innocent fun. We grew throughout high school together as partners in crime and in love, as cheesy as it is to say. I told him everything. My hopes, my dreams, my fears, my secrets; he knew them all. A year and a half had gone by of us being completely devoted to each other with very few occurrences of real fighting. During this time, my folks were in the middle of a divorce and with no siblings to rely on; I turned to him as my tower of strength. This was a job he wasn't prepared for though. Joe started to become more distant from me. He began spending more and more time with a new girl who had entered our school and an old friend of his who wasn't much of a good influence on him. No longer was he my good friend, he began transforming into something that I can only assume was his true character. He broke it off with me after two years saying he still wanted to be friends. That was shit. Between my parents and the loss of his company I was a mess. But, my troubles were just beginning. Joe began dating the new girl that I had mentioned, and while I thought nothing much of her, I was going to soon be disgusted by every fragment of her. Between Joe, her, and his old friend they told me the worst things you could ever tell someone, but what it is I will never say as I have taken to the belief that if I never say, it will all go away. He was nothing close to what he was. Joe was the devil in my eyes. He told my secrets and exposed me for the world to see and laugh at. I attempted suicide twice that year." Jess paused and turned her face away as tears streamed down her face. "I have never trusted a man since."

Jigen's mouth tightened as disgust crept over him for this Joe character. "Sounds like this Joe guy is a piece of shit."

"Joe wishes he could be as good as shit." Jess glanced at the clock in the corner and noticed the time to be 6:15 AM. Her face softened as she exclaimed, "I have school today and I need to get ready. Feel free to just chill out in the house all day. Oh, and a dog sitter comes by around 11 AM so make sure to not be found." Jess went off to the bathroom to complete her usual routine of showering and over all cleaning in the morning.

"Well hell," thought Jigen to himself, "I wouldn't trust a man either if that happened to me." He then leaned back in his chair, pulled his hat even more so over his eyes and tried to catch a nap.

"You know," said the now tidy brunette, "you can just sleep in my bed while I'm gone. It's the room at the end of the hall and well, it's the only girlish looking room in the house. I'll be home around 2:30."

"Alright, I may have to accept that offer." Jess turned around and headed out to her car. Jigen watched her from beneath the brim of his hat until she was out of sight and then made his way to the aforesaid room and slept for a few hours.

At school, Jess entered wearing a very sanguine expression. Kim picked it up immediately as she could read her friend like a book.

"Either you just had sex or…OH MY GOD, HE CAME BACK!"

"I swear, how the hell do you figure this shit out?"

"Magic! Anyways, you must explain now!"

"Kim, shut up! I don't need everyone and their mother knowing what goes on with me." Jess then smiled broadly and added, "Even if it is flipping awesome!" The story of the night was related to her eager friend with much detail and much "awing" from the listener. As the school day was normal and boring, it does not need the same relating as the night received.

Upon coming home, Jess found her visitor flipping through the Yellow Pages.

"Listen, if you were that bored, you could have gone out and done something," Jess remarked with a grin.

"I just made reservations at the richest sounding restaurant I could find. Find something nice to wear and be ready to go by 7."

Jess was completely stunned. It was so out of the blue and remarkable that all she could do was stand there in complete shock. "Oh, don't do that. I don't want you spending lots of money on me, I would just feel awkward." She began fumbling over her words but was spared that embarrassment with a wave of Jigen's hand.

"Don't you dare feel bad. It's not like I'm poor; I just stole the Hope Diamond for god's sakes. Plus," he added with a smirk, "I feel bad for scaring the crap out of you last night. You were sweating like a whore in church!"

Jess couldn't help but laugh as she had used that same expression before. She complied with her benefactors instructions and was ready to go by 7 on the dot.

"Well, don't you clean up nicely." What Jigen saw in front of him was a rare occurrence of the referenced brunette all dolled up as the saying goes. In terms of clothing she wore a form fitting knit sweater with ¾ length sleeves of a creamy color. Her skirt was of the same color and flowed lightly around her knees. Dainty shoes and curled hair topped off the ensemble to create an image of natural beauty. She could take a man's breath away, which is what she did to our gunslinger. He put out his arm, "Miss Abraham?" and was responded with a, "Mr. Jigen!" and they were off.

The dinner itself was excellent. It was one of those places whose food is so expensive they don't even put the prices on the menu. This made Jess feel a tad better since she wouldn't have to see the damage done. The two laughed about silly things, both relating stories of their misadventures. Coming home was a tad quieter, but just as exciting as Jess could feel the sharp glances she was receiving from the man to her left, which caused her to blush immensely.

"Tonight was absolutely wonderful," Jess said as she unlocked the door and the two entered the house, "Thank you so much, no one has ever done something of this magnitude for me."

"Hey, it's the least I could do after scaring you." The two were silent for a moment. The gunslinger looked down at the brunette in front of him. She had her head down but he was still able to notice the small curls that outlined her face. He had let himself fall for her, he knew it, and there was no denying it anymore. Her demeanor, her experiences, her over all presence was intoxicating. Like he had confessed before, she made him drunk without the hangover.

Jigen put his hand on her arm and drew her a bit closer. She resisted a bit at first as flashbacks to old memories made her weary, but gave in finally as her trust in him pushed all inhibitions aside. Jess finally looked up, though a bit frightened, closed her eyes and let her instincts take over. The gunslinger leaned in and the two shared their first mutual kiss. This one last more then a second, though, as Jigen wrapped his arms around Jess' waist and the later wrapped her arms around his neck. Gravity was taken away from the impassioned lady as the gentleman swept her off her feet and made his way to Jess' room. She could feel his heart beating rapidly as she leaned against his chest and had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't all a dream.

He laid her down on the bed softly and hung his hat on the bedpost. Her eyes were full of fire, but this time they were inflamed with passion. He removed his suit jacket and leaned forward to feel her lips once more. Softly at first, but as the fire in them both grew, it became more heavy and strained. His beard caused Jess to giggle as the whiskers touched her cheek, which put Jigen at ease. He had a need to touch every inch of her body, that intoxicating body. Clothes were being flung in every direction until there were no more to fling and all that was left were the two. For a moment he paused at looked directly into the eyes that had haunted him for days. Jess knew what he was asking, nodded, and kissed him as tears rolled down her cheek.

The two could never go back to just being friends after that night. When it was all over, Jess cozied up to the gunman who lay on his back with his eyes closed. He felt her presence close again and wrapped his arm around her. She nestled her head into the crook of his arm and wrapped her one arm around his chest. He could feel the soft curls of her hair that lay out on his arm and smiled.

"I had almost forgotten what complete happiness felt like," he mused to himself and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	7. A Woman Scorned again

(Click) "_It's 6 AM on this beautiful Friday morning…"_

The two sleeping people in the bed woke with a start. Jess had forgotten she had set her alarm clock the previous morning, as was her routine, and was regretting it now. With a moan she pulled the covers over her face and let herself stay in dream world for a few moments. The man next to her didn't stir but he was awake. Jigen didn't know what to think of what happened last night. Both had been sober, both had been consenting, and both didn't want to get up.

"I guess this is right," he thought to himself and smiled.

The female presence next to him began shuffling around and finally sat up with her back to him. Jigen couldn't see her that well as all the blinds were down and the room was dark, but he could see her silhouette. The curvy figure finally stood and walked to the bathroom to get ready for school. Silent like a cat she moved as she knew the path well. When Jess came back, she found Jigen just as she left him and simply whispered a goodbye.

The gunslinger was deep in thought for much of any hour as he pondered his possibilities.

"I'm still very young; I shouldn't be so gaga over some girl. If I get all over Lupin's case about Fujiko, it would be just hypocritical of me to do the same over Jess. But, she's not like Fujiko at all. She's not a bitch," at that he laughed out loud although this had all gone on in his head. "Man, I'm only 23. I should be concerned with my career, not my love life. At least, I can't give her what she deserves until I make some more. Shit, there I go thinking about her again. This is friggin' insane…"

He was cut off in mid thought when he heard his cell phone ring in the other room. Only Lupin had that number, so there was no guess work in who it could be.

"What's up monkey boy?" said Jigen with a yawn.

"Hey, shut up, I don't look like a monkey. Where have you been, man? I was calling all last night trying to get a hold of you but I kept getting voicemail."

"I was busy."

"Busy? Like you have a social life," Lupin said with a laugh, "What could be so important to keep you away from my harmonious voice?"

"If I told you, you would never believe me. So what the hell do you want anyways?"

"Well, the point to me calling last night was so that you would be able to be ready for the flight this morning. But, since I caught you so early, you can still make it down here in time."

"Whoa, what? I thought we were on holiday or whatever and now you are calling after only a few days."

"Yea, well…" Lupin's voice got very low as he continued, "Fujiko is dating this rich, handsome, playboy guy…I don't know what she sees in him anyways." The last part was added with indignation and a sad sigh. "Anyways, your plane leaves in an hour. Enough time for you to get to Dulles (as I assume you are in the DC area, you dog) and make the flight."

"Uh, huh, how did you know I was in the DC area?"

"I have my sources; you know you can't pull a fast one around the great Lupin III! But seriously, get your ass on that plane, you're going to Brazil!" With that, Lupin hung up and left the gunslinger a little torn.

On one hand he had his career to worry about, but on the other was this new thing he started with Jess. He was quite sure he couldn't have his cake and eat it too. Finally, he came to a conclusion.

Jigen collected up all his belongings (which were few in number) and put them all in a small carry on bag. He then made Jess' bed and amused himself thinking what had happened the night before. Jigen had his belongings, left no evidence he had been there, and the plane ticket was waiting for him at the gate, what was he missing?

"A note!" On a scrap sheet of paper, the man in black scribbled a message that read as follows:

_Jess,_

_I'm sorry, but I have to go. I don't know how long it'll be and I'm unsure if I'll be able to contact you while I'm there. It all came up very suddenly. I promise to come back. When I do, I'll have something important to tell you._

_D.J._

With that, Jigen left. He never turned around in remorse or shed a tear. It was his duty to go and it was his pride that fulfilled it. Sadly though, the contents of that letter would never reach our heroine. As Jigen had left the note on the bed, Jess' dog, who had an affinity for paper and tissues, found it a nice snack during mid day when she leapt up on the bed to sleep. Down her throat went all the words the usually quiet man could muster to make sure the brunette would wait for him.

Jess returned home to find an empty and silent house. While she searched every room frantically hoping he was just playing a trick on her, she realized he was gone. The young woman sat down and cried as she berated herself for letting a man use her again.

"How could I be so stupid?" she sobbed, "Am I really doomed to be a page holder until a man is ready to move on? Why did I ever think this was going to be different? He never made any promises and he never told me anything that would warrant affection. Every man really is the same." And with that, her heart turned to stone. The only people she would truly trust now where her close friends who had stood by her through everything. Not even her parents were allowed a glimpse into her heart as they had smashed it years ago with their divorce. Her resolution was strong and set now. She vowed to never let her heart get hurt again.

At her side was her little "snow bird." Taylor nudged her friend as she always knew when something was wrong.

"You have never let me down, Tay; you're one of the few people I can trust anymore." Little did the brunette know that in her trusted friend laid the promise of a man that would return and would try to reclaim what seemed now surely lost.

THE END – squeal on the way.


End file.
